Cut It Off

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 19, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 20.

I STOOD by the lapidary in his work. Before him was a rough, yellow diamond with a roundish body and long tail. “That yellow diamond will probably turn white when I cut off the tail,” said the lapidary. “If it does it will be greatly increased in value.”

With almost trepidation at the experiment, he set his steel knife on the diamond, struck it a sharp blow with the hammer, and the diamond split. The yellow diamond was white, the ugly color was all in the part removed; but while the colored tail was a part of the diamond, the color was reflected all through the precious stone till it seemed to be the one ugly tint throughout. This is a transformation we are told that often occurs in the lapidary’s experience.

I thought of the lesson. How many real diamonds God has among His jewels which would be greatly enhanced in value if they would permit by divine grace and His mighty word the excision of some evil habit, some disagreeable trait of character, which colors their whole life. These disagreeable traits are protean and numerous, but they affect the beauty of character and usefulness of the whole person. Let the tail of wrong habits, of uncouth mannerisms,—whatever it may be,—be cut off, be excised, cut out, broken off, put away forever for Christ’s sake, that His pure white light may shine through and be reflected undimmed.